Of Gamblers and Guitars
by softcorecurls
Summary: A Nick and Ellis slash fic.  Rated M for explicit sexual content later on! The boys get separated during a bad storm and get to know each other a little better :  I don't own L4D2
1. Chapter 1

"Ellis, please tell me you aren't planning on killing zombies with that thing."

There was only a goofy grin in response as Ellis continued to swing the guitar around like it was a samurai sword.

"Jesus, you're like a kid on Christmas with that thing. This isn't a fucking holiday. You know that, right?"

"Aah, knock it off, Nick. What're you now, the authority on zombie-killing?" There it was again. Rochelle coming to Ellis's aid. Didn't matter if the kid deserved the reproach or not, Rochelle was bound to come to his rescue. Nick grimaced in annoyance. For some reason, her doting affections towards Ellis bothered him.

This wasn't a game, this was every man for himself. Except that somehow, by some sick twist of fate, Nick had gotten hogtied to this ragtag gang. He guessed it was Lady Luck getting him back for all of the cheating he'd been doing at the tables in the weeks before the attacks started. Or maybe for skipping out on his sister's wedding to go gambling in the first place. Dealing in illegal goods and counterfeit probably hadn't won him any points with the powers that be either. Then there was that time he knifed a guy…whatever the cause, Nick knew he had it coming.

But to get saddled with a loon like Ellis? He must have really pissed somebody off up there. He'd spent enough time in the drunk tank to know a crazy person when he saw one, that was for sure. And Ellis was about as crazy as they came.

The troop was gearing up in a safe house, getting ready to make the trek to the next stop on their way outta this godforsaken state. Nick reloaded his A-K and cleaned the zombie guts from his firehouse axe. He liked to pick'em off from far away, but sometimes the Horde gets in real close and personal and a gun just doesn't get the job done. But the less blood on his suit, the better.

It was getting harder and harder to focus with that kid around, though. Didn't know how to shut his damn mouth, as far as Nick was concerned, and the ideas this kid cooked up…ludicrous. Dangerous. Downright stupid. He was going to get them all killed—it was just a matter of time.

So why stick around? Why not hightail it outta there and escape with what little sanity he had left? He was sure to avoid the attention of the Horde and Tanks on his own, and he could more than handle the stragglers and a few Specials. And he had turned his back on things before. Family functions, birthday parties, dates, weddings. His own, even. Wedding dresses still gave him chills.

So what was it about this kid that made him stick around and risk his neck day after day? It damn well wasn't Coach and Rochelle keeping him around—those two could handle themselves, watch each other's backs. But Ellis? If it weren't for Nick, he'd be dead four times over.

Done stocking up on health packs and ammo, Coach then tossed the safety bar off the door and ushered them out like he was in charge. Ok, old man. Lead the way.

It was raining like hell, the drops bouncing off pavement and striking back at their heels like bullets, mist gathering at their feet. Coach was yelling for them to stick close, not to get separated. In this weather, a wrong turn could be deadly.

Nick brought up the rear, tailing Ellis and his newly found guitar-sword. There wasn't too much to do back there except keep up, what with Coach and Rochelle taking the lead. But he couldn't let his guard down, they weren't safe yet. Maybe would never be truly safe again.

Shaking the dismal thought from his mind, Nick tried to focus on not slipping up in the mud as the group took a turn off the main road. It wasn't as if Ellis, with his guitar in hand, was going to come to his rescue if he was jumped. The rain was getting harder, faster, as if the earth was trying to wash them all away and start over. It was difficult to make out Ellis's bootsteps, so he lunged forward a bit to try and see his teammate better.

Bad call, he soon realized, as his heels slid in the muddy waters, sending him flying backwards and landing on his ass. He barely had time to let loose a wild _goddammit _before it was on him—a Hunter, clawing at his jacket, tearing at his skin, reeking of death. Its terrible teeth were gleaming with blood, probably Nick's. He'd never seen one this close before, and it scared the shit out of him.

His face stung with the attack, and the sharp claws of the hunter were ripping right through his suit. Might as well have been wearing gossamer, for what good it did. When the monster lowered his teeth to Nick's neck, he knew he was done for. Well shit, it was a good run anyway.

But Karma hadn't come to do him in just yet. Something banked the Hunter right outside the head, sending it sprawling. Then another hit, and another. Nick realized that the zombie's head was being smashed in by a shining red guitar. The twang of the strings and crush of skull was music to his ears.

A panting Ellis stood over the kill for a minute, his body taut from the adrenaline…and could that be rage? Nick had never seen the kid lose it like that. The way he bashed that skull in like he wanted revenge made Nick shiver. In seconds, Ellis was hovering over him, pulling him into a sitting position in the standing water.

"Nick, you ok?"

He was anything but ok, but he lied through gritted teeth: "Yeah, kid. I'm alright. Now let's get back to the others before another one comes." But when Ellis pulled the injured Nick to his feet, the others were nowhere to be found. And Nick was bleeding a fair amount, the blood now mixing with the muddy waters below him.

"I think we lost them…" Nick's head snapped up and looked frantically to all sides. Shit. The kid was right. And judging by the blood all around them, he wasn't going to make it to the next safe house without some serious medical attention. He was starting to feel light-headed and leaned heavily into Ellis.

"Listen kid, we gotta find some shelter, and fast. Or I'm not going to make it." Nick's words came in painful grunts and Ellis pointed out a house not too far away. He practically had to drag the larger man through the mud to get there, and he slammed the door shut behind them.

"Stay here," Ellis whispered to Nick, now slumped against the front door and struggling to stay conscious. _Damn, is all that blood mine?_ After checking all the rooms and blocking all the entrances off, Ellis came back and helped Nick limp up the stairs. There was a bedroom and adjoining bath with three windows where they could keep a close watch on the zombie activity down below, and Ellis helped Nick lie down on the bed. "Ok, we should be safe here."

_Relative to what?_ Nick wondered.

He mentally took stock of the situation. They had one med kit between them but plenty of bullets, definitely enough to last them the night unless several Hordes ambushed them. And maybe the others would notice their absence and show up with more ammo come morning. Nick had to admit to himself that the kid wasn't as dumb as he looked. Hell, he'd saved his life and now seemed to be in a position to protect them both. Nick watched as Ellis set up a small blockade in the room and then pulled out his med kit.

Kneeling next to Nick, Ellis's next words faltered just enough to be noticeable to a practiced poker player: "Uhm, sorry Nick, but can you take off your clothes? I need to see what we're dealing with here." Was he nervous to see Nick undressed? Or was all of the blood getting to him?

"Yeah, sure." Nick shrugged off his shredded jacket and took off his shoes and socks. As he began unbuttoning his shirt, he saw Ellis turn away, a light pink arising on his cheeks. It was kind of…cute, Nick thought, although he immediately shook the thought from his mind. They were both men here, nothing to be embarrassed about, right?

He kept that in mind as Ellis helped ease him out of his shirt and pants, pain shooting through his limbs as he lifted them and slid the white material off his body. Without a word, Ellis got to work. His hands moved swift and soft over Nick's skin, cleaning, disinfecting and tightly bandaging the wounds. It hurt like hell, but Nick never flinched. Not from pain, anyway…

There was something charming about the way Ellis worked: tongue poking out a bit and brow furrowed in concentration. Nick had never seen the kid so serious. When he was done, he handed Nick a few pain pills and surveyed his work. "It'll have to do," he said frowning.

Clearing his throat, Nick struggled to sit up. "Thanks kid…never thought I'd say this, but you really saved my ass back there."

Ellis's frown broke into a huge grin. "Did you see me bust that Hunter's skull open with my Fender?" Mimicking the motion, Ellis happily retold the story in an excruciating amount of detail. But Nick figured it owed it to the guy to keep his mouth shut. One story led to another, and another, and another. Nick thought this Keith guy was either a figment of Ellis's imagination or someone with way too much time on his hands. Still, his slow drawl was more than a bit endearing, and Nick had to admit that the kid had moxy. Maybe Nick needed someone like Ellis around. Ok, now he'd definitely lost too much blood if he was thinking shit like that.

Nick kept one eye out the window as he listened to tale after tale of Ellis's adventures. Damn, the kid could talk. Surprisingly, Nick found that he didn't mind it much. His constant babble was almost comforting. Eventually, he stretched his arms above his head in a huge yawn and patted Nick on the back. "You better get some sleep, Nick. I'll keep an eye on the creepers and wake you up if anything happens." Nick didn't need to be told twice—in minutes he was out, snoring soundly while Ellis watched from the window. He dreamed of a grinning red and white Fender guitar.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own L4D2. Comment if you want me to continue this story...I am finding it hard to get motivated these days :/ But aren't Nick and Ellis just so cute?

…

Oh, he woke him up, alright. Nick was jolted out of sleep by the soft thud of a body against his. He remembered: Ellis was keeping watch, they were stranded during the storm and now his head was throbbing. And in the jumbled thoughts of sleep, Nick imagined Ellis throwing himself at him, their bodies coming together with fear and merging with lust. He thought he could feel something gentler behind the sudden crash, a hidden caress in the dark of the room. But the shouts of a freaked-out Ellis broke him of his unwanted reverie.

"Get down, get down, get down!" Ellis had not lovingly joined him in bed—instead he had forcefully tackled a sleeping Nick onto the floor, bringing the thin blanket and tattered pillow with him.

Nick would have to sort out his sleepy desires later. "Jesus kid, that's no way to wake a guy!"

Instead of responding, Ellis pulled the blanket over them and shoved Nick against the wall, his body hovering over the older man like a shield. Wincing above him, Ellis put a single finger to Nick's lips and let out a pained hiss in place of a shush. The close contact caused his cock to get painfully hard within seconds, and Nick struggled to move away so that the boy on top of him wouldn't notice. It had been way too long since he'd last gotten off and the sudden presence of another body was enough to get him going. He'd have to fix that, and soon.

"What the hell—" Nick's words were cut off by a sudden hand over his mouth. There was the soft sound of something burning and the smell of acid in the silence between them. Nick kept quiet, but the friction from Ellis's body above him was heating up his insides in ways he didn't want to admit. Ellis's body was soft, almost like a woman. No, no. Not like a woman. Nothing like a woman. Don't think of sex…but despite his tries, Nick's hard-on tented his trousers, and he was sure that Ellis could feel his erection against his thigh. It was mortifying.

Finally, Ellis peeked out from the blanket and looked around him. When he let out a sigh of relief, a disgruntled and confused Nick shoved the protective body off of him.

Picking himself off the floor, Ellis ignored the shove and held out a hand to help Nick up. Which he promptly swatted away before pushing himself back up to the bed. The throbbing in his body had re-awakened with the rough treatment, and he had no patience for the boy. Not to mention how he couldn't stand for Ellis to spot the blush spreading like a wildfire across his face.

"Sorry, Nick. A spitter saw me at the window and hocked a monster loogie up here. Look," a finger pointed at where he had been sleeping only moments ago. The sheet looked eaten through as if by years of moths and the mattress seemed to be missing hunks of fabric. "Lucky ya didn't get any goo on your suit, eh Nick," the boy chuckled.

The blanket that Ellis had thrown over them had a few big holes in it as well, and when Ellis turned around to hang what was left of it over the window, Nick saw that the acid had eaten through the back of his shirt in several places, leaving a few raw-looking burn marks behind.

Ellis had thrown himself between the acid and Nick's sleeping body, taking a hit for the injured man.

Goddamn this kid. What on God's green earth was going on in that ball-capped head of his? Why would he risk his own neck—_twice_—for a man who was practically a stranger to him? Better yet, who berated him at every opportunity? This redneck was either too dumb for words or a fucking saint.

Ellis handed him a bottle of water with a goofy grin. For some reason it bothered Nick. How the hell did that kid keep smiling all the damn time? The way Ellis acted, you'd think they weren't trapped in a nearly indefensible building, wounded, surrounded by zombies, and running out of ammo.

It made Nick want to wipe any trace of that smile off his face. Made him want to beat it out of him, bring that grinning fool down to his level and drag his pretty little ass through the mud. But maybe Nick was just so miserable himself that he couldn't stand to see someone else so happy all the time. And did he just think the word 'pretty' in relation to Ellis's ass?

"You might want me to check out that burn on your back, kid. Looks like she got you good."

Ellis just laughed it off. "You're startin to sound like my dad. 'El, stop dickin around! El, that machete ain't a toy! El, your leg's bleedin, son. Put a Band-Aid on that shit!' Next thing I know, you'll be wrestlin gators and borrowing my truck to go muddin..."

"Ellis…that made no sense. Now take off your shirt and let me get a look at you." That came out wrong, somehow. But now the tables were turned—Ellis was injured and it was Nick's turn to take care of him. He hated being in someone's debt. And the thought of being indebted to Ellis was especially sickening.

Frowning, Ellis turned his back to Nick and shrugged his t-shirt off. When he reached out, Nick could feel the heat coming off of the younger man's golden skin. Seriously, after days and days of trekking through swamplands and fiery buildings, how the hell did this kid's skin glow like that? Like it was battery-powered or some shit.

Ok Nick, calm down. He's just another guy. Nothing to get all excited about.

But no matter what Nick said to himself, he knew that the body in front of him was not that of just another guy. Where Nick's own body was thick and square, Ellis was slim and slightly curved. The swell of his hip as it dipped sensuously into his jeans was almost feminine. Nick found himself wondering how that soft body would feel against his hardened form.

Shoving aside the inappropriate thoughts as they surfaced, Nick examined the wound. It wasn't so bad that it wouldn't heal on its own, but it must've hurt like hell. The med kits had been mostly emptied to patch up Nick, but there was some burn ointment left over.

"So…can I put my shirt back on now?" Ellis fidgeted, obviously uncomfortable with the attention.

"Hold on there, overalls. I'm not done yet." He unscrewed the top of the salve and dipped his fingers in. "Now, this might sting a bit…" With that, he slathered the cream onto the burned skin in slow strokes, actually enjoying the skin-to-skin contact.

There was an immediate intake of breath, and Ellis shuddered visibly. The feeling of muscles clenching under his fingers made Nick go hard once more. Without realizing what he was doing, Nick took a step closer to the boy's golden body and leaned in close to Ellis's neck, breathing in his scent. Like dark, loamy soil and the sweet smell of sweat. Ellis either didn't notice or didn't mind.

"Hey, are you about done? That stuff really stings," Ellis said in an uncharacteristically timid voice. Nick pulled back in shock and finished rubbing the burn ointment in.

"All done, kid. Better let it dry before you put your shirt back on though." _What am I saying?_ _If he doesn't put some clothes on, I'm going to go crazy. And why's he being shy all the sudden? We're both men. Men. Who are interested in women, goddammit._

"Okay."

And there it was again. That bowed-head kind of bullshit. Like Nick was the fucking Pope, or something. Why did the kid always have to roll over like that?

They sat down on opposite sides of the bed, each facing away from the other, staring blankly at the walls. The awkward silence between them grew tangible. The lack of ongoing commentary was unnerving. Without all the pointless hicktalk, the slow, heaving sound of death permeated the small room. The groans and tragic shufflings of the infected rang in his ears, and all Nick could think was that Ellis must have noticed his erection earlier and was weirded out by it. He cursed himself for not taking the time to relieve himself more often to avoid situations like this.

Finally, the bed shifted under Ellis's weight as the shirtless, shining Southerner turned to say goodnight to Nick.

"Yeah, I guess it's your turn to get some shut-eye before…" Before what? Nick didn't know how to finish his sentence. Before they ventured back out into the fray, injured and low on ammo, hoping to blindly stumble into the next safe room.

Nick stood up and quietly picked up his gun and went to sit in the chair by the window to keep watch. When Ellis started snoring, Nick decided it was safe to fix his problem from earlier. Surely once he had a good yank he wouldn't be thinking such inappropriate thoughts around the boy anymore.

But even as he whipped his dick out and spit into his fist, he knew something wasn't right. Every big-breasted blonde would suddenly break into a southern drawl and don a trucker hat. Every sexy secretary or desperate schoolteacher would morph into a greasy, grinning mechanic…

_Fucking A—even my fantasies think I'm gay now._ It didn't help that Ellis was sprawled out on the bed shirtless, lips slightly parted in sleep. The rip in the makeshift curtains let through a thin knife of moonlight, the jagged edges highlighting the slight scruff along his jaw. The slow rise and fall of his smooth, tanned chest had a hypnotic effect: Nick couldn't look away. Maybe it was the loss of blood, or a trick of the moonlight. But hell, the zombie apocalypse is no time to be picky.

So Nick let the fantasies ripen. It started out shy and slow, with Ellis nibbling on his perfect pink lips and slipping a slow hand down his jeans. But it wasn't long before Nick was imagining Ellis on all fours, clawing at the ragged bed sheets, screaming his name. Nick picked up his pace, his own body tensing, readying for release. As the pressure built, the body on the bed groaned and rolled onto his stomach, overall straps catching underneath him, pulling his jeans further down his ass. That ass…it was practically calling Nick's name.

His instincts were telling him to place it all on the next bet, and Nick never could resist giving that roulette one more lucky spin.


	3. Chapter 3

Nick didn't sneak across the room. He didn't tiptoe, or soft-shoe, or hold his breath. No, Nick stood up, shoulders back, and swaggered heavily across the room. Like a man. _Hell, if I'm going to go gay, I may as well be a man about it. _He didn't even put his throbbing cock away. Leaning over Ellis's sleeping form, Nick reached down and grabbed the ends of the overall straps.

When Nick placed a bet, he did it without hesitation—his poker face was always perfect. Never let'em see you sweat. With a steady hand, he pulled the straps slowly with one hand and peeled jeans off of skin with the other. There were no thoughts of guilt or regret or what he would do if the kid woke up. Just pure, sweet satisfaction as that perfect peach of an ass revealed itself to him.

He stopped once the overalls were about halfway down Ellis's legs. Nick knew Ellis was a heavy sleeper, but this was goddamned ridiculous. That ass was practically hairless, and the kid's legs were slimmer than the coveralls made it seem. From this angle, Ellis could've been some hot tomboyish farm girl, but picturing Ellis with boobs and longer hair didn't do anything for Nick. No, he wanted Ellis, five o'clock shadow and all. It wasn't just Ellis's feminine bits that intrigued him, it was the whole damn package.

He leaned over Ellis's smaller body, taking in his scent and running a light fingertip across his shoulder blades. Every new movement was probably pushing his luck, but he didn't care anymore. _Let him wake up. How much could this kid possibly weigh? Pretty sure I can take him._

Nick knew how to throw a wicked punch, but the kind of "taking" he had in mind wouldn't require throwing any punches. His hands drew soft circles down Ellis's back, slowly moving towards his perfect ass.

The boy beneath him fidgeted and shoved his ass further into the air. _Shit, what am I thinking? Kid could wake up at any moment. And what's he going to think when he sees me, sitting here with my dick dripping pre-cum on his leg? Jesus Nick, get a grip!_ He pulled his hands away but made no move to cover Ellis's exposed body. _Let's just get this over with. _

Taking his erection in his hand, Nick stroked himself, eyes glued to Ellis's ass. He couldn't keep his voice down, and a few grunts escaped to join the sounds of the infected outside their room. Soon, the close proximity had him breathing so hard and heavy, you'd think he was running from the Horde. One hand held him hovering above the kid's sleeping form and the other pumped at his cock like there was no tomorrow. Which, as far as he knew, there might not be.

Nick didn't last long. He didn't do anything special, just kept his eyes open and picked up his pace, but it had been ages since his last orgasm and this one tore through him with such force that, for a moment, he couldn't breathe. It snuck up on him—usually he lasted longer—and he couldn't keep the cum from shooting all over Ellis's backside. Arm getting shaky, he finally started to breathe again and backed away from the mess he had made. _Gotta get this shit cleaned up before Ellis wakes up. Don't want to try explaining that one._

He found an old hand towel in the bathroom and gently wiped his jizz off of Ellis's back, working his way down to where it had dripped between his cheeks. _Dammit, don't wake up now, kid. We've gotten this far…_

At this point, Nick felt confident that nothing short of a Charger busting through the window would wake this kid up. _Well, just to be thorough…_

Softly spreading the cheeks apart with one large hand, Nick ran the towel between them, turning his head to the side as if protecting the kid's privacy. Or just so he would feel a little less like a total fag. But just as he was putting the hand towel aside and tucking in his cock, Ellis let out a monstrous yawn and turned on his back. Nick threw the incriminating towel to the side and hoped to god he'd gotten it all cleaned up. Rubbing his eyes open, Ellis saw Nick, frozen on the bed next to him.

This was not a good position to be caught in. _As soon as he realizes what's going on, Overalls here is going to come at me like a fucking wildcat. _But that wasn't the main thing on Nick's mind. Ellis never wore underwear, and when he rolled over, his hard-on was on full display.

It was slimmer than Nick's, but long enough to be proud of, and surrounded by only a light layer of peach fuzz. And the tip was slick with the kid's pre-cum, the drop of liquid catching the moonlight and shining like a precious stone in the dark.

Ellis absent-mindedly propped himself up on his elbows and gave Nick a sleepy smile. "Somethin' up, man? Cause I just had this craaazy dream where you're driving this motorcycle and I was on a horse and we're in full-on suits of armor like we was knights or something and then…" The story trails off as Ellis's eyes finally follow Nick's gaze. In a panic, Ellis's arms fly out to cover himself and his upper body falls back onto the bed as he scrambles towards the headboard and away from the man staring at him with an odd sort of intensity. Blood flooded his cheeks in embarrassment as he tried to make unnecessary excuses for his state of arousal. "Oh shit, Nick, I'm sorry! Morning wood I guess…is it even morning yet? Dammit, I—"

The nervous babble was cut short as the older man's rough hand shot out to cover his mouth. Nick was always a smooth talker. Maybe this kid was just dumb enough for him to turn this precarious situation in his favor. "Shut up, El. It's ok. I'm not angry with you, so just calm down."

The words sounded ridiculous in Nick's ears, but Ellis stopped squirming for a moment and looked at Nick with big, glistening eyes. A dog just ready to get kicked.

The sight got the older man hard again instantly.

Ellis had his knees pulled up to his chest, keeping his erection out of sight, and Nick was on one knee in front of him on the bed, crouched like a Hunter getting ready to attack. "Listen, there's no reason to be ashamed. We're both guys here—it happens."

Pulling his hand away from Ellis's mouth, Nick put a reassuring hand on the younger man's shoulder. The kid always seemed to jump through whatever hoops Nick put him through—maybe this was just another hoop. A big, flaming, gay hoop.

The kid was stuttering, grasping at words that would dispel the tension between them. "Sorry you had to see that…I just didn't expect… you know, I thought you'd be weirded out I guess…you must think I'm a pervert or something, right?" He reached up to cover his face, avoiding Nick's eyes. Now Nick was enjoying watching the ever-optimistic Ellis fidget, shame-faced and frightened underneath him. It was just too good to let him off the hook now.

"Must've been some nice lady knights on the round table, huh?" He lightly punched Ellis on the arm in jest. Then he got another look at the younger man's cock as he tried unsuccessfully to hide it. The kid must wake up with his pants down a lot, Nick thought, because he didn't even question why he was in such a state of undress in the first place.

"Jesus Christ kid, what a rager! You blue-ballsin' or something?"

Ellis's expression was an odd mixture of pride and humiliation. "Come on, man…it's been a while, alright…" he whined, trying to pull his pants up his legs without flashing Nick again.

But Nick was having none of that. He grabbed Ellis's hand and said, "looks like it hurts," with what he hoped sounded like fatherly concern and not the outright lust that he was actually feeling.

" 'Snothing, Nick…don't worry about it."

"If you don't get that taken care of, kid, you won't be in any position to fight off the horde tomorrow. I need you alert and ready. We can't afford any…distractions." The emphasis in that sentence seemed to be on "I need you," but if the kid noticed anything funny, he wasn't saying. Nick kept his voice steady and low, like he was calming a nervous colt. He couldn't wait to break him in, but he had to approach this situation real delicate and smooth-like if he didn't want to spook the boy.

Nick shifted his weight towards Ellis, ready to make his next move. Ellis didn't try to move away or cover himself this time, just looked up at Nick with questioning eyes. "Take care of it…you mean…right now?"

Nick chuckled to lighten the tension, trying to act as if this situation wasn't weird or gay as all get out. "Well, you're not going to get much sleep like that, are you?"

" 'Spose not…" Ellis grimaced, biting his lip as he looked away from Nick. Then, there it was—that sigh of resignation, of Ellis doing what he was told. Nick's heart skipped a few beats when Ellis visibly gulped and asked, "D'ya mind?"

Instead of turning away, Nick slid back a few paces to give the kid some room. "That better?"

Ellis was crimson now. "Could ya maybe, I don't know, turn around or somethin'?" Nick actually laughed at this, making Ellis jump a little.

"Oh sorry, El—would you like some candles and mood music too?"

Ellis prickled at this comment and cautiously lowered his legs to the bed, taking his erection in his hand where Nick could clearly see it. "Fine, whatever man."

He stuck out his chin defiantly and began slowly stroking his member. At this point, Nick made no qualms about watching, his eyes now openly glued to Ellis's erection. The next step: get Ellis comfortable with taking orders. His voice sank a few octaves as he spoke encouragement.

"A man's got to take care of his needs now and then—it's natural." He leaned a little closer and Ellis closed his eyes, getting into it now.

"Hey, pick up the pace a little, princess. This ain't a beauty contest." Ellis did as he said, tightening the grip on his cock as well. So far, so good.

"Feeling good? Get some lube and it'll feel better."

"I…don't have…any…" Ellis mumbled as he continued stroking. Nick knew that.

Nick quickly fetched a tub of Vaseline from the bathroom and sat down even closer to Ellis than before. "Here, let me." He dipped his fingers into the Vaseline and, without warning, grabbed Ellis's dick and roughly slathered it on, earning him a shocked howl of pleasure from the younger man.

"Nick," Ellis breathed, half-heartedly pushing the hand away, "you don't hafta do that…"

"Don't worry El, I got you." Nick's hand replaced Ellis's and began pumping him, building the pressure and speed at a steady pace. He grabbed Ellis's small, almost hairless balls and rolled them around with his other hand.

Letting the older man take control, Ellis leaned back and shuddered in pleasure. Continuing to pump his fist, Nick lowered his lips to the head of Ellis's cock. Before he could take it into his mouth, Ellis pushed him away, face pinched in…disgust? Worry? Anticipation?

"No, Nick—it's fine. Really, ya don't need to…" The pleas were interrupted by Nick's insistence.

"Just think of it as thanks for saving my life today, kiddo."


	4. Chapter 4

**"Just think of it as thanks for saving my life today, kiddo."**

Whatever other protests Ellis was harboring flew out the window when he felt the other man's mouth around his length. It had been so long…

_Well, it's official_, Nick thought as his lips closed around his first dick. _I'm gay as gay gets. But if I'm queer for this kid, I've got to get my fill tonight, because tomorrow we might both be straight._

Nick had never done this before. He thought maybe he wasn't doing it right, but the moans coming from above him didn't seem to share that sentiment. Thinking back to his last girlfriend, he tried to mimic on El what he liked for himself. Maybe a little gentler, he was a sensitive kid after all. Wasn't long before Ellis's breathing quickened and he seemed about to bust.

"Ooh shit…Nick…don't stop man," the kid said as he grabbed Nick's head and started thrusting his length in and out of the older man's mouth. Gagging a little, Nick yanked his head back and pulled off.

Wiping his mouth in a seductive way, Nick bent back up and looked his prey in the eyes. "No. Not yet."

Ellis's throbbing cock bounced about, abandoned, slick and shining with spit. But Nick had needs too, and he wasn't about to let this end so quickly. He stood up, grabbing Ellis by the shoulders and pulling him towards his crotch so that the boy was on all fours in front of him on the bed. In a voice dripping with honey, he whispered, "I'm hard as a fucking rock, El. Help a guy out." Nick made sure that it wasn't a question.

Ellis's eyes got wide, but his unfulfilled needs pulsed heavier than his fear beneath him. "Nick…I don't know if I…"

Nick unzipped his white pants and pulled out his cock. "Shh, El. It's easy. Just grab onto it like it's your own." There was a minute or so of hesitation, but then, so slowly that Nick thought he was imagining it, Ellis put a trembling hand around his dick. The skin-on-skin contact was electrifying. "Grip it tighter, there you go. Now act like you're jacking off…ooh yeah that's it, keep doing that."

While Ellis tentatively continued, Nick rubbed his shoulders with strong fingers and stroked his light brown hair. "Good, good. Now put your lips to the tip." Ellis almost spooked, but Nick's strong hands kept him steady. Quivering lips soon engulfed the head, and Nick could see Ellis's erection standing at full attention. "That's it, nice and slow. Try and take the whole thing." Nick firmly guided Ellis down to the base, petting his head whenever he gagged a bit on Nick's girth. Ellis tried weakly to pull away, but Nick held him firm, increasing the reassuring caresses but not letting go.

"Fuck , El…that feels so good. Just don't move too much and I'll do all the work, ok?" Nick slowly started to pump in and out of Ellis's open mouth, barely able to keep his cool. "Careful with your teeth, buddy. Keep it soft and wet for me. Yeah, just like that." It wasn't long before his control started to slip and he began moving faster.

Ellis's eyes were closed, and he moaned around Nick's cock as it pounded in and out of his mouth. _Jesus, this kid is actually enjoying sucking dick! If I'd known he wanted it so bad, I would've forced myself down his throat months ago!_

Just when he couldn't take it any longer, Nick pulled out, still holding Ellis by the shoulders. Ellis's eyes were hazy with lust. Nick reached down and grabbed Ellis by the dick, giving him a few quick pumps and eliciting a loud, long whine from the pup.

Nick's honey had dried up at this point, the words coming out in a rushed rasp: "El, turn around. I'm going to fuck you."

So much for not spooking the colt.

Ellis's eyes shot open and he fumbled to get away from the man looming before him. But his efforts caught his legs up in the overalls and caused him to fall forward on the bed, ass in the air like an open invitation. Nick was way past asking permission.

Lunging forward, the older man pinned Ellis easily to the bed. He could see the painful burn marks on Ellis's otherwise perfect skin, and the reminder of such reckless self-sacrifice ignited him further.

"Shit, Nick! I ain't gay, get offa me!" Ellis wriggled and kicked, but Nick grabbed onto his hips and held on tight.

"Calm down before you hurt yourself, kid." In truth, he liked the feel of Ellis's body bucking up beneath him, scratching and clawing at the headboard. But he didn't want to hurt the kid more than necessary—they had enough to deal with tomorrow without beating the shit out of one another.

"Like hell I am! Come on man, this ain't funny!" Ellis could feel Nick's raging erection pressed up against his thigh like a knife. The longer the boy struggled, the more impatient Nick became.

"Look here, Ellis." Nick grabbed Ellis by his hair and pulled his head back so he could whisper in his ear, the desperate words falling on Ellis's ears like cannonballs. "I'm going to fuck you, one way or the other, and if you want to be able to walk tomorrow, I suggest you shut up and take it like a man. So what'll it be? Cause if you keep squirming like this, I swear I'll duct tape you to this four-poster faster than you can spit." The confusion and terror in Ellis's eyes made a pang of guilt well up in Nick's chest for a moment, but he had to have him, and the sight of Ellis's erection pressed into the mattress told him that he wanted it too.

Ellis had stopped moving, and the room was deathly quiet for once. "That's what I thought." Nick shifted his weight off of Ellis and let go of his hair. He grabbed the boy's slim hips and lifted him up so that his ass was up in the air again. "Now stay put, I don't want to hurt you." Nick picked up the Vaseline and dipped his fingers in again. He'd been friends with enough homos to know the drill: you can't just shove a huge cock up someone's ass and expect them to enjoy it. You gotta stretch 'em out first, get them used to the feeling, find their hotspot. The zombie apocalypse may have turned him into a pseudo-rapist (he liked to think of Ellis as reluctant, not unwilling), but he wanted the kid's first time to be good too. God knows when either of them would get laid again, so he had to make this one count.

The immaculate ass in front of him was shivering a bit as Nick held the cheeks apart with one hand and began gently prodding at Ellis's pink hole with the other. Half-expecting a kick in the head, Nick impatiently slid the first finger in. There was no kick though, just a sharp intake of breath that could've come from either of them. Apparently, Ellis's submissive nature knew no bounds. His eyes were shut tight, and the way he was biting his bottom lip got Nick's temperature rising. But kissing was off limits—way too gay, right?

Nick wriggled his finger around a bit, shocked by how tight Ellis's ass was. God, it was going to feel good around his dick. It was all he could do not to ram it up Ellis's exposed asshole then and there. When he started moving his finger in and out, slow and unsure, he was shocked to hear a soft whimper of pleasure from the boy beneath him.

Leaning in, Nick started to talk dirty in innocent ears, nibbling at the lobe between words. That wasn't kissing, right? "You like that, El? Does it feel good?" He got no answer from the lip-biting boy, but another barely audible sigh added fuel to the fire. "Come on, Ellis. I wanna hear you moan like a whore while I finger-fuck your tight little asshole…No? Let's add another, then." Nick slicked up his fingers again and added a second finger, moving them in and out a little faster this time.

A few whimpers, but still no moans. Determined make Ellis into a more-than-willing partner, Nick pulled out the big guns. Well, not the biggest gun, but Ellis wasn't ready for that yet. Curving his fingers, he searched for Ellis's sweet spot and reached around to give his still hard cock a few strokes of encouragement. Just as he tightened his grip around the young man's member, he felt it—and apparently Ellis did too. A short-breathed howl shot through the room like a bullet and ricocheted off the peeling papered walls. Jackpot. This bet was paying off after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**A short-breathed howl shot through the room like a bullet and ricocheted off the peeling papered walls. Jackpot.**

Nick bellowed a maniacal sort of laugh and stroked Ellis faster, inside and out. "That's what I'm talking about! Moan for me, El." This time, his command was met with little resistance. The boy was about to burst.

Wanting to make it last, Nick slowed his pace and slacked his grip. He added a third finger, scissored it around a bit and rubbed tiny circles around Ellis's nub, causing the boy to squirm and squeal. Ellis was writhing below him, pushing back now to meet every thrust of his fingers. Just as he was about to explode, Nick pulled his hands away. Ellis's breathing slowed a bit, and like a cat staring down its human when the petting stops, he practically mewled his frustration.

Nick was on his knees, towering above Ellis. "Tell me that you want it. Tell me that you want my cock inside you."

For a moment, Ellis said nothing, but the heated blush that spread across his face as he turned to look Nick in the eyes said everything. Nick pushed him a little farther, wanting to humiliate him. Ellis's submissive nature seemed to bring out the worst in him. "Beg me for it, farmboy. And be specific." He pulled Ellis's arms behind his back in a sudden and painful move, causing him to fall face-first into the mattress. "Do I need to twist your arm on this or are you gonna do what I say?"

The response was muffled by the bedding, and Nick told him to speak up. "Sorry, I didn't catch that. Come again?"

Ellis strained his neck and his voice cracked as he said, "Goddammit Nick, just fuck me already!"

He didn't need to be asked twice.

Nick slathered a small handful of Vaseline on his cock, stroking it briskly to get it nice and hard again. "Turn around and look at the cock that's about to get buried in your tight little asshole, El. Look how hard you've made me." Ellis lifted up his eyes to Nick's rod, the fear and longing in them apparent. Nick licked his dry lips and started rubbing his dick between Ellis's cheeks, moaning in pleasure at the skin-on-skin friction.

"Feel how big it's gotten, El. I'm gonna stretch you wide open with this monster."

Without prompting this time, Ellis groaned a response. "Fuck, Nick…I don't know if I can take it…"

Nick positioned the bulbous head of his hard cock at Ellis's virgin asshole, nudging just the very tip inside. "You ready for this dick, boy?" Ellis nodded.

"Just…go slow, ok?" For once, Nick listened. He started in on the long process of opening up Ellis's hole, sliding himself forward a little and then slowly pulling out and in, listening to the sharp intake of breath that accompanied each forward thrust. Finally the head popped past the sphincter and Ellis cried out in pain.

"Holy fuckin shit….that hurts…"

Nick stayed still a moment and patted Ellis's backside like an obedient pup. Through gritted teeth, Nick affectionately said, "C'mon, keep breathing. You're doing fine."

"I can't breathe…you're tearin' me apart!"

"And how do yah think I feel? Your asshole is clamping down on me like a fucking vice. Relax, El, or it ain't no fun for either of us!"

"Ughh just pull it out! I can't take it…"

Nick ignored him, continuing to push in and pull out in tiny strokes, urging his dick deeper and deeper into El's soft boy-pussy. Finally, it was in to the hilt. Taking a breather, Nick leaned over Ellis's back and whispered in his ear, "It's all the way in now, El. How does it feel to have a real man's rock hard cock lodged all the way up your tight little cunt?"

Ellis bristled at Nick's choice of words, and struggled uselessly beneath him. "Fuck you, Nick—don't talk to me like I'm a girl!"

Nick smiled deviously as he chose this moment to pull his cock halfway out and shove it roughly back in. Ellis let out a surprised yelp and squirmed on the impaling member, only succeeding in pushing it deeper in. Suddenly the fantasy took over, and Nick was saying the dirtiest things he'd ever heard come out of his own mouth. He wanted Ellis more than he had ever wanted anyone before, and there was no stopping the waves of lust that crashed over him.

"That's right, bitch. I'm going to fuck your girly little pussy so hard your cock turns into a clit. Your cunt is dripping wet for me, El. It wants me to slide my big fat cock in and out of your hole till I squirt a huge load of cum inside of you and get you pregnant like the horny little slut you are."

Ellis was too horrified to reply, and the sudden thrusting in and out of his asshole was starting to feel too good to care what shit Nick was saying. As long as he kept hitting that spot…

"Oh god, Nick…fuck me harder…" Ellis moaned unabashedly now, throwing his hips back wildly to meet each thrust. Nick's dirty mouth was getting distracted by the ache in his groin. It wouldn't be long now… "Shit shit shit Nick…don' stop don' stop don' stop," Ellis's voice was a shrill staccato as he bounced himself on Nick's throbbing hard member like an experienced whore.

Nick couldn't think straight, the walls were spinning…Jesus, it had been a long time since he'd been knee-deep in pussy, cock straining to cum like a rocket. Except that he wasn't screwing some random bar hookup blonde with big tits. No, this one was different. She had balls, for one. But the sight of Ellis's cock wagging back and forth in rhythm with Nick's own cock pistoning in and out of Ellis's ass didn't repulse him like he had thought it would. In fact, it had him randier than he could ever remember being. And it was all Nick could do to bring his hand up to Ellis's cock as he bent over him, ready to erupt.

"Fuuuuck, El, come for me baby girl!"

Ellis wasted no time. After just a few pumps, Nick felt tremors up and down Ellis's shaft as Ellis howled in pleasure and shot a white hot load of cum into the air, splattering his chest and shoulders. That gorgeous Southern drawl let out an indecipherable string of profanities and pushed Nick over the edge finally. No more dirty words this time. All Nick let out was a single, sweet, "Ellis—" as the younger man's ass clamped down tight and milked him to orgasm.

He must've cum a fucking gallon. For a few glorious seconds, he forgot about the zombies outside, about the shit they were in, about whether he was gay as all get out, about taking advantage of the guy who had just saved his life, twice. All he could see was the side of Ellis' face as he came: smooth, barely-stubbled pink cheeks, blue eyes shut tight, and two pillowy-soft pink lips. He was beautiful.

Without a word between them, Nick pulled himself out of the sweaty, gasping heap and proudly watched his cum dribble out of the boy's hole for just a moment before collapsing on the bed next to Ellis and immediately falling asleep. For the first time in years, he felt satisfied.

...

Nick awoke from a disturbing dream to an empty bed. _Shit, where'd he go?_ Nick jumped up to look for his backpack. _It's gone. It's all gone. The meds, the ammo...All he left me with is a hunting rifle and four bullets. I've been played!_

There was a loud crashing noise from the hallway. Nick grabbed the gun, loaded it and waited. There the shuffle of more than one zom out there, and the door was ajar from where Ellis had apparently left last night. He hurriedly threw on his shirt and pants, slinging the suit jacket over his shoulder as he waited till the zombies walked past the door. Three passed by, he could see and smel l them through the crack in the door, but one curious motherfucker had to poke his goddamn head in. He saw Nick and pushed the door open, shambling energetically into the room, jaws clacking with each step. Not wanting to make too much noise, Nick took a few quick steps to close the distance and bashed the zombie's skull in with the butt of his gun. The others would soon hear and come looking for him, so he dashed out the door and down the hallway in the opposite direction.

He jimmied open a window, shimmied to the edge of the slanted roof, put the safety on, dropped the gun down and hopped down himself. It hurt a little, but the drop wasn't far enough to do any real damage thanks to the heavy slope in the roof. Now where? The rain had stopped, there were no shamblers in sight, and only four freaking bullets.

The ground was soft, engorged and swollen up from all the rain, and he realized he would be able to track any footprints with ease. Too bad lots of zombies still wore shoes. Ellis' tennis shoe tracks were easy enough to spot, but the kid had hightailed it to the pavement, probably to avoid leaving a trail. Nick figured he'd walk the edge of the pavement for a while, see if he could find where Ellis went off road again. The walk was mostly quiet, actually. In the heavy rain, every corner seemed to hide a dead guy ready to jump out at him and eat his face. In the clear light of day, he realized that the zombies must mostly be inside the small, shotgun-style houses all along the road. He could hear them, but he rarely saw one.

The uneventful walk made Nick think about some things. Things he didn't really want to think about. Like about the moral implications of his actions and shit. This wasn't the first time he had fucked up, or fucked somebody else up. He was a con artist and a gambler, after all. Most of his action had negative consequences in one way or another. He was used to hurting the people who cared about him, but he had never felt it tug at his conscience quite so much as this.

_Not only am I potentially dealing with a goddamn sexual identity crisis, but I'm pretty fucking sure I hurt that dumbass little kid in the process. He did kinda act like he wanted it, but still…I don't know if I can rationalize my way outta this one. _

_Well, I got what I deserved. Rape a guy and get deserted in a ghost town full of biters—seems fair enough._ All this time, Nick thought he was playing his cards just right. Somewhere in the back of his fucked-up head, Nick thought that if he could get the kid to enjoy it, then he'd wake up and all would be well. After all, hadn't Ellis acted like a schoolgirl with a crush? Blushing and trembling all over. And he hadn't resisted much until the end, and even then, wouldn't the kid have fought him more if he really didn't want Nick's dick? Ellis had practically been begging him for more.

Despite everything, Ellis had been the best lay of his life. If that made him gay, then so be it. There was no police force to bring him in for rape, and no societal expectations to worry about. If there was one thing Nick liked about the world ending, it was the lawlessness of it all. While he felt guilty about how things had gone down, the memories of last night were giving him a hard-on all over again. No time to stop and spurt one out, not with zombies behind him and Ellis somewhere ahead. He needed to find the kid, pay him back for saving his life, maybe even apologize. But, most of all, he wanted to screw him senseless.


	6. Chapter 6

…

Late in the evening, Nick noticed that the dead were looking livelier, milling about with more fervor for some reason. He was beginning to think he better just call off the hounds and pick a place to fortify for the night when he heard gun shots. He ducked behind a rusty black truck and listened intently to the firefight. More than one gun, and by the sound of it, they were fighting the zombies, not each other. Live people scream when you put a bullet in them—but the dead die quietly the second time.

One of the voices came closer to his position. It was a woman's voice, and two male voices beside. He wasn't sure where they were exactly, but he could tell they were in a bind.

"Shit, Coach, I'm outta rounds. How many you got?"

"Not enough. Where the fuck is Ellis? Boy needs to learn when to stick close and when to play hero."

It was apparent now that the voices belonged to Coach and Rochelle, and that Ellis had caught up with them sometime that day. Staying close to the truck, Nick tiptoed closer to the voices. Peering around the front, he could see them tucked behind the car across the street. Making as little noise as possible to keep from attracting zombies to their position, he nearly crawled across the gray, crumbling pavement towards them. Rochelle, leaning around to better see the walker to her left, spotted him and nearly yelled out to him. Nick put a cautious finger to his lips and closed the distance.

Her whispers were barely contained as she put her arms around him. "Holy SHIT, Nick! You're alive!"

Coach actually looked pleased to see him, but this was hardly the time for heart-felt reunions. "Jesus Christ, I thought you were one of them."

"We can chat later, ladies. Where's the kid? Was he with you?" A few zombies had noticed their position at this point and were shambling slowly towards them.

"We lost him on the bridge. They came at us from both sides. Coach and I went back but we think he crossed. We haven't heard any gunfire from across the creek. Nick, I don't know if he made it across." Rochelle was choking up just talking about it.

The words were out of his mouth before he knew what he was saying. "Stay here, I'm going to get him."

Coach spoke up. "Not without backup, you aren't." Always the chivalrous stick in the mud, that Coach.

"We are NOT splitting up again. We just found you!" Rochelle sounded angry.

"Fine. look, it's not safe here anymore anyways. See that two-story building near the bridge? There usually aren't many walkers up that many stairs, so you shouldn't have many visitors. Cover me from those windows."

"Fuck that—I'm coming with you!" Rochelle's voice was fierce but her lip quivered with a hint of fear. Something had changed in Nick, maybe right in that moment. The old Nick wouldn't have risked his life for, well, anyone. The old Nick certainly wouldn't turn down an offer like this, either. But a sudden swell of emotion overtook him—these people, they were his family now. And they were a better family than he'd ever known before all this shit went down. He couldn't let them risk their lives for him, and the realization surprised even the greedy gambler.

"Get up there if you wanna help. Don't worry—I'll bring the kid back. Wait for us, ok?" His voice contained an unexpected amount of kindness. What the fuck was going on with him today, anyway?

Coach and Rochelle seemed equally surprised. Rochelle gave him some extra ammo, her machete and a pipe bomb before she hugged him and they wished him good luck before disappearing in the building up the street. _Here goes nothing, then._

The bridge wasn't far, and the machete served him well as he quietly took out the few walkers in between. Rochelle keep that thing sharp and clean, and it almost made Nick guilty to splatter it with guts. The dead were swarming a car in the middle of the bridge whose alarm Nick thought he must have heard go off a while ago. He decided to cross underneath, the water looked high but not too bad. He slipped in the mud when a walker grabbed at his pant leg, but he quickly skidded into the water and left the zombie on the bank. So much for keeping his suit clean.

Once on the other side, Nick scanned the street for hiding places. Wasn't long before he heard the hard twang of guitar strings behind a shanty to his right. A few biters on the edge of the bridge must have heard the noise too. Nick hurried to the sound, chest getting tight as he rounded the corner of the house to see Ellis, beautiful brave bat-shit-crazy Ellis, smashing in the head of a zombie with his Fender with four more closing in. _You just can't stay outta trouble, can you kid?_


	7. Chapter 7

...

Taking care not to shoot too close to the kid, Nick steadied his breathing and aimed for the head of the closest walker. He pulled the trigger and the bullet connected. One down. He missed the second one. Ellis was taking too long to kill them with the guitar, they were arms' length away now. Too close to shoot without hitting Ellis. Nick could feel his instincts kicking in—he closed the distance between them in seconds flat, knocking the dead bodies back and taking a stand between their outstretched arms and Ellis. He swung the machete with less precision than brute strength, but managed to lob the head clean off the nearest zombie. Using the momentum from his swing, he knocked the zombie to his right to the ground to give him some space to work with. Ellis went to work on the fallen zombie, and Nick turned his attention to the corpse running towards them. It caught up to them fast, but Nick easily sidestepped her and macheted the back of her head before she could turn on him.

The immediate threat had passed, but Nick knew that any minute now the bridge crowd might turn the corner of the house and trap them. Ellis was doubled over his kill, panting. Sweat dripped down his face and he didn't bother to wipe the blood from his hands. Nick touched his shoulder, and the boy recoiled from his touch. _Well, what'd I expect? A goddamn handshake?_

"Listen kid, we don't have time for hard feelings and apologies right now. There's a mob headed our way and we gotta work together or we aren't gonna make it." Ellis turned and glared at Nick, harder than he would have thought possible for the baby-faced boy. The first zombie rounded the corner. They were running out of time. The backyard had a tall wooden fence in the back.

"We gotta climb the fence and make a run for it. Here, I'll give you a boost." Nick knelt down, giving Ellis the signal to climb up. Begrudgingly, Ellis put his boot in Nick's hands and let him hoist him over the fence. There was a dumpster on the other side and Ellis shimmied over to it, standing high above the fence now. Nick tossed up his gun and held out his hands as twenty or more zombies followed the first towards their position.

But Ellis didn't reach down to pull him up. He stood there with the oddest look on his face, some kind of mixture of anger and indecision that sent chills down Nick's spine. _Holy shit. He's going to stand there and watch me die. Gotta hand it to the kid, I never would have thought he had it in him._

"Ellis, goddammit—pull me up!" He was jumping at the fence now, trying to get a foothold somewhere, anywhere. They were close now, maybe fifty feet away.

"El, I—" There were a million things he wanted to say, some quite incriminating. But there wasn't time to make amends or love confessions or even shout obscenities.

_I'm a dead man. I'm sorry. I think I love—_

Ellis knelt down and offered his blood-covered hand. It was the most beautiful thing Nick had ever seen.

Just in time, too. Grubby, rotting hands barely missed the edge of Nick's jacket as he reached up and shimmied up the fence with Ellis's help. The kid was surprisingly strong, and Nick liked the sight of his bicep muscles tensing up as he pulled Nick over the fence to safety. There he was, seconds from death, with a half-hard cock tenting his pants.

The two had no time to further examine the new level of complexity their relationship had reached in that single, life-saving gesture. And thank god, because Nick was nowhere near ready to deal with that kind of soul-searching. Now, running from zombies—that he could do.

The two shouldered their guns and swiftly moved back around the shotgun houses and crossed the street towards the least populated part of the bank. Thrusting his gun at Nick's chest, Ellis quickly unbuckled his jeans and pulled them off. Nick struggled not to stare. His pants were already soaked, so no point in trying to keep dry. They waded into the waist-deep water, neatly dodging a bobbing, chomping zombie head that floated by in the water. The darkly humorous sight made Nick cringe, thoughts of underwater zombies filling his thoughts. Better than thoughts of a pantless Ellis, at least.

Nick could hear cover fire clearing their way as they made it safely to the other bank. The two darted between abandoned cars, closer and closer to the safe house where Coach and Rochelle were stationed.

"In there! Coach and Rochelle are in there!" Nick pointed to the two-story shotgun house door. As they were taking the stairs two-by-two, Ellis suddenly slammed Nick into the doorframe. The look on his face was dead serious as his forearm pressed into Nick's windpipe.

"You ain't gonna tell nobody about what happened out there." His voice cracked pubescently over his threat. And his eyes softened as Nick managed a 'no, I swear.' A painful blush broke over his face, and he moved inside towards the others with Nick following suit.

They headed upstairs, and Nick heard Rochelle's cries of joy and Coach's relief before he saw them.

"I'm so glad you guys are both OK!" Rochelle brought them both in for a hug that was a little too close for comfort. "I knew you were fine out there on your own, but it's good to see you and know for sure."

"I thought you were both dead," Coach said, his ever-widening smile betraying deeper emotion than he was allowing to show. "It's good to be wrong."


	8. Chapter 8

...

While Rochelle asked a million questions and Coach cleaned their weaponry, it was hard not to feel as if nothing had changed. Ellis was clearly avoiding any prolonged eye contact, but Nick thought that with time, maybe he could earn the kid's trust back. Talk about pipe dreams.

The plan was to get to the Florida Keys, where it was rumored that the military was taking other survivors. Nick didn't have much faith in a military rescue, but Coach was convinced that island life was the way to go.

"You ever seen a zombie swim? Damn things ain't got the brains it takes to doggy paddle. The way I see it, the zombie population on an island is limited, you get me? Even if the military ain't no help, there's only so many walkers from shore to shore. We wittle'em down till there's just us and the sound of the waves." Coach closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if he was already there in his dreams.

Despite his doubts, Nick didn't have any better ideas. "Sure, why not? Need to work on my tan anyway."

So they hatched a plan to get to the Louisiana coast and find a big enough boat—take some time to stock it up, and then follow the coast close enough to keep the boat gassed up till they got to the Islands. So they moved.

During the day, it was easy. Didn't have to talk much, just point, shoot, run, hide. Coach had a map they followed, and the route was simple enough along the highway. Here and there a hoard, but Lady Luck seemed always on their side. Nights were harder. A few hours before dark, they'd start the countdown. Had to get to shelter before it was up. Then, they settled in for the night.

Usually, they all slept on the floor and kept one eye open. Those nights, the distance between Nick and Ellis felt like a concrete wall. The nights when there was room enough to spread out were worse. Sometimes, Rochelle would room with Ellis. Nick never heard any suspicious noises, but it made his blood boil to imagine her greedy, wet pussy enveloping Ellis's throbbing cock. But some nights she would room with Coach, so maybe she was just lonely. Whatever it was, it made Nick salivate. Most days, Ellis just ignored Nick. Everyone once in a while, he'd give Nick this look like he wanted to say something, then just turn away. It was making Nick crazy.

On nights when Ellis had a room of his own, Nick could hear him plucking away at those bloody guitar strings. Good god, that kid was bad. Somebody needed to teach him the basics. And who better but his old buddy Nick?

This idea had floated in and out of Nick's mind for weeks before it went anywhere. It took quite a few swigs of an off-brand whiskey and an hour of poor guitar strumming for Nick to get his courage up and try to bridge the gap.

At least he knocked first.

Ellis, most likely thinking he was Rochelle, called him in. He didn't look up when the door opened and closed, and only when Nick took a seat on the bed beside him did he react.

In a whispered tone, Ellis snarled and pushed off the bed. "What the fuck are you doing in here?"

Nick lounged causally on the bed, grabbing the guitar out of Ellis's startled grip. "Teaching you how to play this damn thing. I can't sleep with the noise you're making." Nick couldn't help the trace of a smirk that crept onto his lips. Teasing the kid was what he was best at, after all.

"Fuck you, Nick. I can figure it out myself!" Nick made a hushing sign with his hand.

"Hey, don't wake up the others—keep it down, ok?" Ellis just glared at him, not moving. "Do you know 'Freefallin''? Nick strummed the first few chords. Ellis stared at the ground.

"I know a lot of Led Zeppelin, too. Or you can try your luck finding some sheet music and a working electric guitar tuner one of these days."

Angry silence melted into reluctant submission. "I…I didn't know you could play." Jackpot.

The next few weeks, whenever there was room, Nick would visit Ellis late at night to teach him a thing or two. Soon enough, Ellis could play Freefallin' all the way through, and the two were talking again. Ellis was very cautious to keep space between them and the conversations weren't lengthy, but it was certainly better than the cold shoulder that Nick knew he deserved. They didn't talk about what had happened, but every once in a while Ellis would flash a hint of a smile in Nick's direction and fan the flames of Nick's newest obsession.

It was damn near impossible to keep his hands off the kid. All Nick could think about was Ellis—ass in the air, whimpering and moaning beneath him. He whacked off almost every night to the memories of that hot, desperate fuck. And every morning, the need to relive that night grew stronger, headier, like one last hard toke before falling asleep. Except sleep didn't bring a reprieve—his dreams were filled with Ellis fantasies, each one dirtier than the next. Nick knew good and well that dam wasn't going to hold for long.

One night, as Nick was showing Ellis some new chords, the sweet musky smell of Ellis's worn out T-shirt caught him as they sat next to each other on the bed Ellis had claimed earlier that day like a kid calling shotgun. The siren's call was more than Nick's high libido and low self-restraint could take, and he leaned in a little too close, mouth almost on the perfect curve of Ellis's ear, hand sliding up his pants leg. It took them both a moment to realize what was happening—just enough time for Nick's intrusive hand to come to rest on Ellis's crotch. To the surprise of both men, Nick's hand hadn't come to rest on a soft, flaccid member, but a hard, half-swollen cock.

Nick couldn't contain his narcissism. "You're that into me, huh kiddo?" Ellis's only response was a swift fist to the gut that sent Nick tumbling to the floor.

"Get outta here or I'll fucking kill you!" The red spreading across Ellis's face betrayed more embarrassment than actual anger.

Nick's narcissism wasn't done. "Big words for the guy who gets a hard on just looking at me."

Ellis came at him, teeth gritted and arms swinging. But anger makes you vulnerable, and Nick was taller, stronger. He took a few punches, then blocked a wild swing and knocked Ellis off balance. He took the opening to knock Ellis to the floor, straddling him and holding his arms down as Ellis struggled like a bull brought to the ground. Now it was Nick with the inappropriate hard-on, smirking down at Ellis's glare. He ground his heated hips into Ellis's softened rod, growling in pleasure.

The fight was over as quickly as it had begun as Rochelle's voice brought them to their senses. "You guys OK in there?" Nick stood up and Ellis rolled out from under him.

"Just knocked over a lamp, Ro. Go back to bed."

He could hear her lingering outside the door. She sighed. "Well keep it down. You're waking the walkers."

Nick turned to glance over his shoulder at Ellis, who was picking up his guitar that had tumbled to the ground in the scuffle. "El, I—" Nick sighed heavily. "Get some sleep. Long day tomorrow."

...


	9. Chapter 9

...

And it was a long fucking day. The weather was getting colder now, and Coach wanted to make it to a port town before winter really set in so they were booking it South. Rochelle clearly suspected something was going on between him and Ellis, cause Nick kept catching her giving him a quizzical kind of look. As for Ellis, the anger had faded to a sort of schoolgirl shyness. Whenever Nick tried to speak to him or smile in his direction, Ellis would blush uncontrollably and stare at his feet as he shuffled away from Nick. The farm boy was jumpy as a high-strung colt, stumbling over himself, firing into emptiness at the slightest noise. Coach even threatened to take his gun away if he didn't calm the fuck down.

They followed the highway mostly, ducking into the trees that lined the road when things got shifty. As they got closer to the coast, the amount of abandoned cars on the road continued to increase, clogging their path more and more as the journey went on. As they tiptoed their way through a particularly crowded road, an undead driver reached out of her rolled down window and grabbed onto Ellis's arm. The kid shrieked, pulled away and fired a few rounds into the car. He hit his target, but she slumped over onto her steering wheel as she went down and laid down on the horn, causing several nearby car alarms to go off. Nick shoved the dead driver off the horn, but it was too late. Dead passengers were clawing their way out of cars, the woods were stirring with quivering corpses, and there they were: four living meat sacks, right in the middle.

"Aw shit—Ellis, why'd yah have to go and alert the entire goddamn zombie brigade?" Even Rochelle didn't have nice words for Ellis right then.

Nick gathered them together in a quick huddle to get the game plan. "There's less of them to the left. Let's get off the road and under cover. And no gunfire for the next few minutes unless you're getting eaten alive! Now let's go!"

Pulling out his axe, Nick pushed Ellis in front of him. "I've got your back, now be quiet and let's move!" With Rochelle leading the way and Nick bringing up the rear, they started running. The undead were closing in from all sides, some shambling, some running, all groaning their hunger. They only attacked the ones that were within grabbing and biting distance as they jogged for the cover of trees, praying that there weren't more bodies in there than on the road.

Rochelle and Coach disappeared first into the woods, with Ellis and Nick not far behind. Then he heard it—the raspy moan of a smoker. Before he had time to warn Ellis, a thick, ropey tongue lashed out and wrapped itself around Ellis's feet, pulling them out from under him and dragging him through the grass toward the top of an SUV in the middle of a swarm of zombies. _Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck not again_—

Leaping over the hoods of cars, Nick shouted for Rochelle and Coach. "Smoker! SMOKER!" Ellis was being pulled closer and closer to an approaching wall of open, drooling mouths, trying to pull his knife out of his pocket. He got it out, but couldn't pull himself into a position to saw off the tongue. Nick got to him just as the zombies were getting too close, stomping on the tongue and causing the smoker to let go of Ellis's ankles. One of the faster zombies jumped them, but Ellis whipped around and buried his knife in its head. Nick pulled him up and the two started running. Nick felt the slimy tongue of the smoker caress his arm just as Rochelle darted out of the tree line and shot the smoker down. She and Coach covered their backs as they made a mad dash to the woods.

Once in the shade of the brush, Coach waved them farther into the trees, all of them running now full speed. There were undead in between the trees, but they couldn't overwhelm them without any open space. They must have run for a good twenty minutes before Coach stopped and leaned against a tree trunk to catch his breath. "That was…the worst of it, I think…" Nick plopped to the ground in a pile of leaves and thought his lungs were going to burst.

"I don't think I can run anymore…" Rochelle wiped the sweat off her brow.

Ellis fell on his back next to him, panting heavily. "I thought for sure I was a goner back there," Ellis said, sneaking a shy look at Nick.

"You're fucking welcome, kiddo." Nick dusted himself off and stood back up. _And I almost lost you, again. _ The thought was inconceivable. "How about finding someplace to eat? I'm starving."

The foursome took a few deep breaths, laughed it off and continued South, hoping they weren't too far off from a town.

...


	10. Chapter 10

...

An hour before sunset, they finally emerged in the backyard of some little suburb. They kicked in the door of the nearest house, did a quick rundown of the place and barricaded the doors and windows. The house was clean and free of any signs of zombies or struggles. Nick almost expected some happy yuppie family to walk right in the door.

"Hey guys, you gotta see this!" Rochelle called the boys into the kitchen where she stood in front of the open cabinets that lined the walls. They were stuffed full of food, first aid and liquor. Rochelle even pulled out a bong.

Ellis's jaw hit the floor. "Holy shit!"

"We're gonna live like kings tonight, boys!" Rochelle was popping open bottles already while Coach ripped open a few bags of potato chips.

Soon, the four of them were lounging around the kitchen table, chowing down on junk food, joking about the apocalypse, and drinking bottle after bottle of warm red wine.

"Seriously Ellis, you are the luckiest son of a gun I ever met," Coach roared in laughter. "But hell, was I glad to see you guys after that night with the typhoon." He took a swig from his mug, and his next words made Nick almost choke on his cheese crackers, "What happened that night, anyway?"

It was Ellis who hastily responded, not leaving Nick any room to talk. "Aw, we just holed up like woodchucks and kept inside till the rain stopped. No heroics or nothing."

No heroics? Ellis saved Nick's life, not once, but _twice_. What do you call that?

Rochelle looked unconvinced. "But how'd you get separated from each other the next day?"

Afraid of what Ellis might say, Nick jumped at the question. "We spilt up to search for you guys in this quiet little neighborhood, but I lost track of time and didn't make it to the meeting point. So I followed the road till I heard gunshots, and there you were." Nick finished his drink in one fell gulp. He picked up the bong from the counter and held it up above his head, desperate to change the subject. "So, we gonna light this baby up tonight or what?"

"Shit, I haven't had a good toke since the 70s," Coach said with a devious grin on his face.

"Watch what you say Coach, you'll show your age," Nick laughed. "Come on, Ellis—green it for us." He passed the bong to Ellis.

"Nah, I think I'll stick to whiskey, thanks." Nick was not about to take no for an answer.

"Wait a sec—you've never smoked pot before, have you overalls? Now you gotta take the first hit! Think of it as a thank you for the guy who saved your life today."

"I don't know…" Ellis warily eyed the contraption in his hands.

This time, it was Coach who picked up the slack. "Smoke it or don't, but pass it if you ain't gonna light it up, kid."

"Aww, just do it, El. Nobody's gonna report you to the authorities, you know," Rochelle laughed.

Finally Ellis gave in, shoulders slumped, deferring to the group. "So how do yah use this thing?"

Nick sidled up next to him instinctively and felt Ellis flinch at the sudden close contact. _Still with the schoolgirl routine, huh? A few tokes and beers ought to loosen him up._ "Ok, you take the lighter in this hand," he put the zippo they'd found in Ellis's right hand, "and suck through this hole at the top while you light the bowl." Ellis did as he was told, cheeks puckering up as he sucked. "Now you lift the bowl out like this," Nick pulled it out for him. "And you breathe the smoke into your lungs, not your mouth. Got it?"

Ellis choked out a huge puff of smoke in response, coughing his lungs out while he passed the bong to Rochelle. Nick handed him his beer to soothe the burn in his throat, and Ellis chugged it down. The bong got passed around, and soon Nick was feeling better than he'd felt in a long time. His chair was still pulled up nice and close to Ellis's chair.

"How yah feelin', overalls?"

Ellis took a minute to respond like he was really thinking it over. "Like my body wants to float outta my chair or somethin'" No one could keep from laughing, and soon the whole group was chatting, passing a bottle of wine, and giggling uncontrollably. Ellis didn't even seem to mind when their knees would touch under the table.

"I ever told ya'll bout the time me and Keith convinced the preacher's daughter to go skinny dippin with us in the creek behind the church?"

Rochelle snorted into her drink. "You sure talk about this Keith guy a lot. You sure it was the preacher's daughter you wanted to see naked?" Ellis blushed a wildfire across his stubbled cheeks, but no one seemed to notice. Well, aside from Nick, of course. Had Ellis really been into guys the whole time? He let the thought slide and hurried to cover both of their asses.

"Anyone up for a drinking game?"

"I don't need a game to get me drunk," Coach said, lifting his glass.

"A game would be fun though," Rochelle mused. "Hey Nick, truth or dare?"

That was an easy one for someone with secrets to hide. "Dare," Nick said, running a smooth hand through his hair.

"I dare you to take a shot of that tobacco sauce in the cabinet."

"What is this, middle school? Fine, but it's probably gone bad by now."

"Hot sauce never goes bad," Ellis piped in.

"Your wisdom is beyond words, El. Fuck it, pour me a tall one, Ro!"

Rochelle poured the clumpy sauce into a shot glass, and Nick made sure not to look at or smell it before throwing it down the hatch.

"There, easy," Nick said, his eyes watering. Then he ran to the sink to spit it all out with the gang all laughing their asses off at his expense. _The gang?_ Did he really think they were his people now? Nick realized that he really couldn't have found better stray dogs to feed. He never had to be scared of getting his throat slit in the middle of the night over ammo or water, or worry about getting left behind when things got hairy. No, they had always come back for him. It was hard to admit, but Nick owed this ragtag group his life. _Gulping down a mouthful of hot sauce really makes you think about things, I guess._

Now it was Nick's turn. Naturally, he picked Ellis, who really fucked up when he picked dare.

With an evil grin, Nick stroked his chin in silence, devising a dare that would be both humiliating for Ellis and sexually gratifying for Nick. Then it hit him.

"There's a girl's bedroom upstairs right? I dare you to go and find the girliest pair of panties up there and wear them the rest of the night."

Coach erupted in a warm flood of belly laughs and Ellis turned beet red.

After a moment of silently staring at his shoes, Ellis, ever the good sport, said in a barely discernible whisper. "OK. But no peeking!"

"Aww, but where's the fun in that if we don't get to see it?" Rochelle clearly wanted a bit of a peep show, but Coach bailed Ellis out (as someone always does.)

"Bad enough he gotta spend the rest of the night with frills up his ass. Cut him some slack." Coach wasn't done laughing yet, though.

When Ellis finally came back down, the game had moved on without him and only Nick was wondering what he must be wearing under his jeans. It made Ellis uncomfortable all the same.

"OK, Nick. Round two—truth or dare?"

"I think I'm gonna have to go with truth this time—I still haven't fully recovered from your last dare."

Rochelle thought a minute, then asked a question Nick wished she hadn't. "Have you ever been in love before, Nick?"

_Don't look at him, whatever you fucking do. Don't look up at Ellis like a lovesick little bitch and give away your hand before you even get to play it._ _Look at Rochelle. Talk about anything else but Ellis. The wedding, talk about the wedding._

"I almost got married once to a girl from Florida. She was a knockout—long blonde hair, big tits, and a mean right hook."

"That's not what I asked, tough guy."

"Well—yeah. I was in love with her." The words sounded forced and hollow. _C'mon Rochelle, just let it go. _

"That's all? You almost marry the girl and that's all you have to say? Why didn't you marry her?"

"That wasn't part of the question. Are we done with this stupid game now?"

"Yeah," Coach interrupted. "But only because it's time for me to drink you mother fuckers under this table."

_Thank the gods that's over. I don't think telling the truth sits too well with me._ "You're on, old man."

"Pour me one too," Ellis chimed in. Soon, the four survivors were chugging beer around the table to see who would last the longest.

Rochelle tossed in the towel first, saying "If I try to keep up with you guys, I'll regret it in the morning." Nick followed close behind, remembering that his last drinking competition ended with three guys in the hospital, including him. But Rochelle and Nick watched in awe as Ellis kept neck and neck with Coach, gulping the beers down like a champ. Finally, Coach crushed his last beer can in his hand and conceded.

"Alright, alright. You can stop now, I give up." Ellis finished his drink and slammed it down on the table with a huge grin on his face.

"Didn't I ever tell ya'll that the only person who could out-chug me in three counties was Keith?" He let out a self-congratulatory belch and the room broke into fits of laughter.

"I shoulda known not to run with you young folks," Coach said. "It's time for this old man to turn in for the night."

Rochelle stood up and stretched her arms out. "Me too. Mind if I share the master bedroom with you, Coach?"

"Hey hey hey—wait a second! There's only the girl's room left!" Ellis objected , slurring his words a bit.

"Oh, no you don't. No offense, but I am not spending the night with either of you drunken stallions."

Coach bristled a little at that last comment, but was way too drunk and tired to make something of it. "You boys sleep tight. It's gonna be another long day tomorrow." The two of them picked up their few personal belongings and headed up the stairs. _So maybe Rochelle wasn't interested in sleeping with Ellis_, Nick thought. _And now it's just me and an intoxicated Ellis in a room together. Cha-ching._ Ellis groaned a bit and held his head in his hands.

_Time to play the concerned friend card. _"How yah feelin' over there, buddy?"

Ellis stood up, wobbly and holding onto the back of the kitchen chair. "I'm fine," he said as Nick wrapped his arm around Nick's strong shoulders to help him up the stairs.

"Leggo of me!" Ellis tried to pull his arm away.

"No way, roomie. It's my job to make sure you don't hurt yourself."

Once upstairs, Nick helped Ellis into bed, much to the annoyance of Ellis who had been trying to shake him off all the way up the stairs. Nick laid down on the other side of the bed, not moving, wondering whether or not it was too early to try again.

But it was Ellis who made the decision for him. "You're not gonna try anything weird again, are you?"

Nick turned around and started moving across the bed toward Ellis on the bed. "I was thinking about it. Would you like that?"

A startled Ellis fell off the bed trying to get away, scrambling drunkenly across the floor till he hit the dresser and pulled himself up. _He acts like he doesn't want me, but why go and ask a question like that unless you are disappointed about not getting hit on? Don't worry, kiddo. I won't let you down._

...


	11. Chapter 11

...

_He acts like he doesn't want me, but why go and ask a question like that unless you are disappointed about not getting hit on? Don't worry, kiddo. I won't let you down._

"N-no way, Nick…" Ellis was backed against the dresser as Nick slouched towards him. "Don't come any closer!"

_It's too late for that. _

"Take your shirt off."

"Wait a sec—" But Nick was already on him, hands crashing into Ellis's chest, grasping at the edge of his shirt. Soon, Ellis was tangled up in his t-shirt, pressed against the dresser. There was a mirror behind the chest of drawers, and Nick could see a peek of pink fabric over the top of Ellis's jeans. "C'mon Nick, get off!"

"No." He yanked the t-shirt over Ellis's head, revealing Ellis's smooth chest and perky pink nipples. Nick squeezed Ellis's small but firm pecs and flicked his nipple with his thumb, eliciting a squeak from the younger man. This time around, Nick wasn't concerned with whether or not his actions made him gay. _So I'm gay for one guy—it's not the end of the world. The end of the world already happened, and even that wasn't so bad, right?_

Nick leaned over Ellis, the scent of Ellis's sweet, salty skin washing over him, drawing him in. Rough, stubbled chin nuzzled into Ellis's neck, followed by the sharp grating of teeth and the soothing salve of lips. Hungry, Nick's lips trailed down Ellis's neck to his chest, the tip of his tongue darting out to lap at Ellis's nipples. The slightest of moans fueled Nick's passions. Pinching, kissing and biting Ellis's nipples on the way down, Nick knelt in front of Ellis and started to pull down his pants.

Ellis grabbed his hands to stop him. "Don't…we can't…"

Time for the guilt trip card. "I saved your life today, buddy. Time to show your appreciation." With that, he tugged down Ellis's overalls and yanked them out from under his feet.

"Holy shit."

Ellis didn't fuck around with truth or dare. He was wearing soft pink panties with lace around the edges and side strings that were tied in cute little bows on Ellis's slim hips. The electric sight of Ellis's half-hard cock bulging through the panties was enough to make Nick's heart stop.

"Don't look," Ellis said as he tried to cover himself, but Nick was having none of that. He swatted Ellis's hands away roughly and stroked Ellis's growing rod through the soft fabric of the panties.

"I give the orders here now, not you." He kissed the tip of Ellis's growing dick as it peeked out of the top of the panties and then stood up and spun him around to face the mirror. "Look how stiff your little clit has gotten." He wrapped his arms around Ellis and sank his teeth into his neck. Ellis howled and Nick put up a hand to quiet him. "Shhh, don't wake the grown-ups, they'll hear you and come running. We don't want them interrupting us, now do we?"

"N-no," Ellis whispered. "Don't let them see me like this…"

Nick laughed, roughly held the side of Ellis's face and made him look at their reflection in the mirror. Standing behind a mostly naked Ellis in his suit made Nick feel powerful. "You don't want Coach and Rochelle to see your sexy little body, farm boy? Don't want them to see your tight little ass in these girly pink panties?" He groped Ellis's bubble butt for emphasis, panties barely covering the curves.

"Maybe I want them to see you. To see us," he said, the sight of Ellis's quivering lips becoming too much for him. And Nick kissed him. On the mouth and everything, like a real fag. And Ellis didn't move away or bite Nick's tongue as he slipped it in. Nick was devouring Ellis, biting his bottom lip, enjoying the smell and feel of Ellis's breath mingling with his own.

He finally pulled away, both of them panting like dogs, Nick's erection grinding into Ellis's backside.

Ellis put his slim fingers up to his lips, as if he didn't understand the imprint Nick had left there. "Why…?" The question corroded the air around them. It wasn't something Nick wanted to go into right then and there.

"Because I want you." Nick held Ellis's beautiful blue eyes in the mirror.

"B-but, I'm a dude," Ellis whispered. He broke eye contact and stared at his bare feet.

_Goddammit, do we have to do this right now? Why should I have to explain myself to this naïve idiot country boy? The body wants what it wants, and it's not like I have a lot of choices around here._

"Look in the mirror, girlie. All I see is a horny little slut. Now do you wanna get off or not?" Nick grabbed Ellis's cock and massaged it to full strength, causing it to emerge halfway from the lacy panties. Ellis cooed nervously in response.

"Y-yeah, but…"

"No 'buts,' El. Look at how wet your cute little panties have gotten." There was a large wet spot on the front of Ellis's panties where his cock had been leaking pre-cum like crazy. Weed and wine will have that effect on a guy. "Don't worry, sweetheart—I'll make sure you come nice and hard for me."

"I'm not a… slut…" Ellis choked out while Nick was stroking his swollen member.

"Oh yeah?" Nick loved a challenge. "We'll see about that," he chuckled. "Now play with those perky little tits for me, baby." Nick grabbed Ellis's small hands and pulled them up to his chest and then brought his own hands down to Ellis's ass. Hesitantly, Ellis began groping and rubbing his chest as Nick's fingers dug into his cheeks, roughly kneading them.

After a few moments, Ellis began pinching his own nipples and moaning. "Nick…"

"See—look at that erotic face." Nick forced Ellis to look at himself in the mirror, face flush with desire, eyes half-lidded. "You are a hot, _horny_ little bitch."

Ellis shook his head fervently. "N-no, I'm not…I don't want…this…"

"And you're also a liar, Ellis." Nick pulled Ellis's hands behind his back and pushed his chest into the dresser. "You know what happens to lying little sluts?" He leaned over Ellis's softly resisting body to speak the next words directly in his ear. "They have to be punished."

"But I didn't do nothing—" Ellis objected weakly as he tried to wriggle free.

"Quit your whining and count," Nick ordered. Still holding Ellis down, he brought his hand up high and savored the moment—Ellis's quivering thighs, the lace barely covering his cheeks—it was a beautiful sight. Then he swung his hand down harshly onto Ellis's ass, the slap popping loudly across the room. Ellis winced beneath him at the sudden sting.

"I said count'em," Nick reminded Ellis as he slapped his ass harder the second time.

"O-one…" Another slap.

"Two—" Ellis said with a sharp intake of breath. The blows began coming harder and faster.

"T-three, fou…r, five…"

Nick found himself relishing the red imprint of his hand on Ellis's ass as he spanked the younger man repeatedly, listening hungrily to Ellis count each and every strike. It wasn't until after number 37 that Ellis finally broke down and started begging—Nick was impressed.

"Th-irty-eight…please Nick, _thirty-nine_! Oh God, Nick, no more!"

Slap. "Do you want my cock, you filthy whore?"

"Fuuuuuck—forty!"

"Yes," _SLAP_. "Or no."

"Nick, Nick, I want your cock!"

Nick's hand stopped in mid-air, but Ellis flinched away from the oncoming blow anyway, his dick straining desperately against the pink panties.

"See how easy that was? You're a horny little slut. Feels good to be honest with yourself, doesn't it?" _Time to get down to business. _Nick released his grip on Ellis and took a step back. "Put both hands on the dresser and spread your legs, girlie." Ellis obeyed quickly, watching Nick intensely through the mirror and breathing hard.

"Yessir," Ellis whispered, the surrender apparent in his trembling voice. Nick was practically beaming with pride and approval.

"Good girl. Let's get you out of these soaking wet panties." Nick swore he could hear a drumroll in the distance as he slowly untied the ribbons on each side and watched the lacy fabric fall to the ground between Ellis's feet. With an appreciative groan, Nick ran one finger between Ellis's cheeks, lingering mischievously on his little pucker. Kneeling down, Nick dug his fingers into the soft pillows of Ellis's ass and pulled them apart, baring Ellis's boy-cunt.

"Do you want me to lick your pussy, El? I want you nice and wet for me, baby girl." Ellis just nodded vigorously, and Nick was too impatient to make him beg for it. No idea what he was doing, Nick leaned in and flicked the tip of his tongue around Ellis's hole gently. Within seconds, the boy was bucking his hips back to meet every brush of Nick's tongue. He licked his balls, cradled them in his mouth, and even wriggled the tip of his tongue inside of Ellis's man-pussy. And fuckin' A, he _enjoyed_ it.

Soon, Ellis was riding Nick's face like a rodeo bull, thrusting backwards onto his tongue and moaning like crazy. Nick couldn't keep it in his pants much longer—he needed to bury his cock balls-deep into Ellis's asshole ASAP. Luckily, Nick believed in his sexual prowess enough to grab the jar of lube from last time just in case there was a next time, and he quickly retrieved it from his bag and hastily slathered it onto Ellis's hole.

Ellis squealed at the cold, invasive touch as Nick slid a lubed up finger deep into his asshole and swirled it around in search of his prostate. Another squeal let him know he had found it, and he firmly pumped a second finger into Ellis's now wet hole.

"Your hungry little cunt wants more, I can feel it. It's sucking my fingers in so greedily…" Nick added a third finger, scissoring them around Ellis's insides. A guttural groan was all he got in response. "Still so tight…I think we need all five fingers to loosen up your tight little pussy, don't you?" Ellis squeezed his eyes shut as Nick bunched up his fingers and pushed his hand in up to the knuckles. Reminding Ellis to breathe, Nick eased his hand in past the knuckles, pausing to spread out his fingers inside.

In more ways than one, Ellis just couldn't take it anymore. "I want it…I want your cock," he grimaced.

Nick forced his hand farther inside, wanting the satisfaction of farm boy begging beneath him. "Why? Why do you want my cock?"

Biting his lip in pain and pleasure, Ellis blurted out, "Because I'm your dirty little slut!"

That was good enough for Nick. He practically ripped his pants off in his hurry to get inside the quivering boy. First things first, though. He grabbed up the panties and told Ellis to open wide as he stuffed the wet, lacy material into Ellis's mouth.

"Wouldn't want your dirty little mouth making too much noise and waking the neighbors," Nick scoffed as he lined the head of his dick up with Ellis's asshole. He reminded himself to be gentle just as he shoved the head of his throbbing cock into Ellis's ass. _So much for that._

"Fuckin' A, El—" Nick groaned as Ellis keened like a cat in heat through the fabric of the panties, "my cock is just sliding right in!" He pulled back a bit and pushed his rod in a little further. "You've been playing with yourself, haven't you?"

Ellis shook his head as if to say 'no,' but the way Nick's fully erect member was easily pushing further and further into the boy said otherwise.

"What a bad girl you've been—shoving your fingers and whatever else you can find into your horny little cumhole every night." Once he was balls-deep in Ellis's bum, Nick gave each ass cheek an approving slap, causing the boy to jump and inadvertently push himself deeper onto the throbbing, still cock.

"Getting impatient, huh? Fingers just won't cut it anymore, I guess. Well don't you worry, sweetheart—I'm gonna give it to you good tonight. And if you play your cards right, maybe every night. Now show me how much you really want it, baby. Fuck yourself on my big, hard cock."

The pleading look in Ellis's eyes was such a turn on for Nick that his manhood must've grown another half size inside of the poor boy. Bracing himself against the dresser, Ellis resigned himself to the degrading act and began slowly wiggling his ass around on Nick's dick.

The room echoed with another powerful smack to Ellis's ass cheeks as Nick abruptly pulled his dick out. "Like you mean it, slut."

So Ellis bit down harder and, swallowing his pride like a champ, plunged his ass backwards onto Nick's rigid shaft.

"Ooh yeah, that's more like it. Now ride that cock like the cheap whore you are."

Watching Ellis repeatedly impale his tight little ass on Nick's swollen member, Nick didn't wonder what tomorrow would bring or whether he was in love or even what Coach and Rochelle would think if they found out about the whole thing. All he could think about was the next thrust of his hips as he gripped Ellis's slim waist and drove his cock deep inside Ellis's ass. Ecstasy. Pure, unadulterated ecstasy.

From the way Ellis was riding his cock and moaning through the gag, Nick could tell that Ellis was close to the breaking point. Nearly there himself, Nick was growing impatient.

Shoving Ellis face-down on the dresser, Nick pressed one hand down on the small of the younger man's back and grabbed ahold of Ellis's hip with the other. The sudden change in Nick's demeanor frightened Ellis and he weakly fought to resist.

As Nick slowly pulled his cockhead almost all the way out, he bent over the boy's body and whispered in his ear: "You're _mine_, Ellis. You're a horny little slut and you're _all mine_."

With that, Nick roughly entered the boy, forcing himself in deeper than before. "Horny little sluts like it hard, don't they?" Nick's strokes were fast and long, deeply penetrating Ellis's insides. The fire was building in both men, the heat and musk between them becoming a palpable smoke in the air. Reaching forward, Nick grabbed Ellis's cock and gave it a tug. "They like it when men rub their little clits while they shove their big, hard dicks inside them until they cum."

Nick could feel Ellis's ass convulsing around his member, and the cock in his hand threatened to explode any second now. This young buck was definitely chompin at the bit. "Come on, baby. Let it go," Nick grunted, getting dangerously close himself. "Cum all over my cock. Show me what a good little girl you are and cum for me."

And like a good goddamn soldier, Ellis came. His whole body rocked with the force of his orgasm, his dick painting the dresser drawers with the biggest load Nick had ever seen. After a few moments, the moaning stopped and Ellis lay still underneath him, breath heavy and labored as he struggled to recover.

_Now it's my turn. _He picked up the pace again, startling poor Ellis as he pushed him back down into the dresser. "You're not going anywhere until I cover your insides with cum. I'm gonna breed your ass, boy, so hold still and let me put a baby inside you."

A tearful Ellis locked eyes with Nick in the mirror, but he didn't fight this time. Maybe he was just too intoxicated and tired from his orgasm. Or maybe he liked it. Nick didn't want to waste any time asking stupid questions—he just wanted to empty his balls as deep inside of Ellis as possible. And fast.

"Aw shit, El—it feels so good inside of you…" Losing control, Nick slammed his cock in and out of Ellis's ass, forgetting everything outside of the amazing warmth tightening around his dick.

Then, a surprising thing happened: Ellis started bouncing back forth on his ready-to-cum cock again, cooing words of encouragement while he milked Nick's member for all it was worth. "Give it to me, Nick. Cum deep inside my slutty little cunt!"

_Did Ellis just use the c-word in reference to his asshole? Fuuuuuuck that's hot. I'm gonna cum…_

Ellis's words sent Nick over the edge as he took the final plunge into Ellis's eager asshole and squirted what felt like a gallon of cum deep into his warm, quivering hole. After a few last pumps to make sure he gave Ellis's abused hole every last drop, Nick pulled his cock out and fell backwards on the bed. He watched Ellis drooped over the dresser, droplets of cum beginning to leak down his legs, and wondered what it all meant. Was this gonna be a thing? Or was it just a drunken mistake? There was a woman's t-shirt on the floor, and Nick scooped it up and used it to wipe off his junk as he mused.

When he was finished, he stood up shakily and tossed the t-shirt on the dresser next to Ellis's still quiet form, but the kid didn't move.

"Hey, El—you alright?" A concerned Nick moved forward to shake the boy, but a loud snoring noise from the slumped figure made him stop. _He's asleep! Hah—what a light weight._ Nick laughed quietly to himself and gently toweled the sleeping boy off before carrying him to bed. Wondering what the morning would bring, Nick decided to roll the dice and stay the night with Ellis. He curled up around Ellis's small frame, the sweet smell of his hair lulling Nick to sleep, deep and sound.


End file.
